System Center 2012 R2 Is Essential For Windows 8.1 Tablet Deployments

If you're running Windows 8.1 in your business, the chances are it's sitting alongside Windows 7 systems as well. Forrester analyst JP Gownder points out that this approach is likely to be messy if you don't also have an up-to-date System Center deployment.

In a blog post, Gownder says that interest in Windows 8.1 has been increasing in recent months. The tablet-centric nature of the original Windows 8 interface and the need to retrain staff meant that many businesses chose to stick with Windows 7 instead.

Gownder suggests that situation is gradually changing, but also points out that managing a mixed environment will be tricky if you don't also upgrade your server infrastructure:

In most cases, enterprises with an interest in Windows 8.1 devices are running hybrid environments — adding Windows 8.1 tablets (for example) into a largely Windows 7 environment. This is best accomplished using System Center 2012 R2; prior editions don't offer full deployment capabilities, making them onerous for I&O personnel to manage.

Hit the link for Gownder's thoughts on where Windows 8.1 has enterprise appeal.

Comments

System Center is great in some respects and horrible in others. Rolling out software to devices/users is great but some things seem complicated for no reason.
You can't just point at a WSUS server and say 'go' to a computer during OSD like MDT. Packages fail with generic 'failed to install' error codes etc.
Pretty steep learning curve too!

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